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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — magic
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — a country
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — to come down
  14. rule — government
  15. fine — high quality
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. rule — a law
  23. cue — a signal
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com